The Sons of The American Legion Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage P.O. Box 1055 PAID THE NATIONAL UPDATE Indianapolis, IN 46206 AMERICAN LEGION Official Publication of the Sons of The American Legion Spring 2013 Sneaking up on another Still time to hop on the Bandwagon record breaking year By Raymond Jarvis Nat’l Membership Chairman Only a few, short weeks remain before Our bandwagon is on the move By Larry “Bear” Weinzirl the close of another administrative year and Houston bound. We’re seek- Nat’l Children/Youth Chairman for the Child Welfare Foundation. Any do- ing out 105 percent in membership nations that will be counted yet this year must reach the National Head- by July 24. That’s 30 days prior to quarters by the close of business on Friday, May 31. our National Convention. All-time S.A.L. donations to the CWF now total over $5 million. Our How will we reach this goal? slogan this year is “Just for Kicks, Let’s Go for Six.” We are also request- The easiest way is to renew all ing support of Operation Military Kids, Temporary Financial Assistance, of our members. Traditionally our Children’s Miracle Network, Ronald McDonald House, Child Safety National renewal rates are around Program, Special Olympics, Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 87 percent, give or take a little. Family Support Network, Josh Dogs and other programs that benefi t our That means that we are losing Children and Youth. approximately 35,000 to 40,000 Total donations from the Sons of The American Legion to Children & members each year who do not re- 8 Youth programs last year totaled over $9 million. Our goal for this year is new. $10 million. From all indications, we are well on our way to reaching this There are a variety of reasons House. She was housed in one of activities and report them annually. goal. Also, please remember to fi ll out your Consolidated Report Form. Crescendo from Page 2 for this. 30 rooms in the facility, 29 of which Yes, we do assist our veterans The majority of all Squadrons and Detachments do something for C&Y A lot of our members move opened in Pittsburgh back in De- were occupied. As you can imagine, every day. May 18 is the suggested and it is extremely important that we capture these donations and hours. and leave no forwarding address. cember and another just opened there’s a continued need for expan- date for the S.A.L. National Veter- The children of our country are our greatest natural resource. My fa- Parents or grandparents pay for in San Antonio in March. More sion of existing facilities and future ans Assistance Day. Make it a date vorite quote is, “Fifty years from now it won’t matter the type of house houses will be built in other states, construction throughout the nation. our veterans will never forget. Do I lived in, the make of car I drove, or the amount of Continued on Page 3 just as soon as we raise the money In addition to raising money for something special for one or more money I had in my bank account. But the world may needed. I encourage you to visit a food and supplies needed, S.A.L. of them that day. Use your imagi- be better because I made a difference in the life of a Fisher House. Seeing is believing. members can also help their near- nation and be creative. Just being child.” I accepted an invitation to visit est Fisher House by reaching out to there may be all that’s needed. As the Fisher House in Minneapolis volunteer. you will read elsewhere in this edi- Fisher House hits milestone earlier this year and met with the Whether your actions are aimed tion of the newsletter, there are The nation’s 60th Fisher House was opened in late coordinators. On that cold, winter at Fisher House or Child Welfare some squadrons that choose to ob- March in San Antonio at the South Texas Veterans day I was fortunate to talk with or any other American Legion pro- serve our National Veterans Assis- Health Care System. Since the fi rst one opened 22 a temporary resident, a woman gram, make sure your squadron’s ef- tance Day on other dates - at least years ago, more than 180,000 veterans and their fam- named Sue. She informed me that forts are noted when submitting the one of them waits and does it in ilies have been served by Fisher Houses. her husband was receiving needed annual Consolidated Report Form. I June. That’s perfectly fi ne! With the completion of this newest facility, all care nearby and would remain hos- cannot stress enough the importance Thank you for what you do for VA hospitals with polytrauma rehabilitation centers - pitalized for several weeks. Due to of making sure the Consolidated the Sons of The American Legion there are fi ve such centers in the country that treat the the fi nancial burden, Sue would Report is fi lled out and submitted. and The American Legion Family. most critically wounded - are now being served by a not have been able to be near her Our communities need to be made Thank you for taking an active role Fisher House. husband if not for the existence aware of what we do and this is a in the largest and greatest wartime San Antonio has eight Fisher Houses, the largest and hospitality of that Fisher means we need to keep track of our veterans organization. concentration in any single city in the country. 2 7 Riding up the crescendo Giving our support to An open letter about the Consolidated Report Form the Fisher Houses Dear S.A.L. Leader, By Chris Huntzinger Wow! It’s hard to believe we’re about to move into the fi nal stretch of our year. The By Jeff Frain Your Americanism Commission thanks you, not only for the faith and commitment you have dem- National Commander Nat’l VA & R Chairman S.A.L. Bandwagon is cruising toward its des- onstrated, but for your continuous work and devotion to the programs and principles of the Sons of The tination in Houston and the National Convention near the end of August. The idea to provide nearby American Legion. Every Detachment in this great organization has been working with dili- housing for families of veterans be- Many of you have kept the commission informed of your activities this year and I commend you on gence each day to support the Four Pillars of The American Legion. I ing treated in VA facilities was fi rst this. Your participation in last fall’s American Education Week and the disbursement of materials such want to thank you for your labors of commitment to accomplish the goals conceived in 1986. The fi rst Fisher as the “I Pledge Allegiance” and the “Our Country’s Flag” booklets have defi nitely helped to educate we set out to complete in “Forging our Future Together.” House was opened in 1991. many elementary and middle school students about how to respect and honor our fl ag. Your ongoing Seats on the Bandwagon are fi lling rapidly with each passing member- National Commander Chris support of and participation in The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program ship target date. It’s been a smooth ride so far. Many Detachments have Huntzinger supports many VA&R has once again helped the growth of the program itself as well as the students who participated. Your exceeded every percentage membership target throughout the year. Yet, project’s but one of them closest sponsorship of candidates to the respective Boys State programs will shine even brighter as many of here’s your chance to spring into action as the weather warms. We need to his heart is the Fisher House. those leaders go on to participate at Boys Nation. to continue signing up new members. Commander Chris has instructed But now you have another task ahead of you. If you have not done so, it is now time to report all I have witnessed the untiring work being done by your National Vice his National VA&R Commission of the Americanism activities your squadron has performed since last June. You need to do this on Commanders, National to fi nd ways to showcase, promote the Consolidated Squadron Report Form. This is one of the most important documents your squadron Membership Commit- and support the Fisher House pro- is required to complete each year. Yes, this document is used for national awards, but much more im- tee and Detachment gram. portant is that the report is used to tally all the volunteer hours and donations of Sons across the entire leadership. Continue to To that end, we have been work- nation. Last year, a total of 1,565 reports were turned in. That means only about one in four squadrons support them. Many Le- ing on a book called “Top Secret – of the S.A.L. was in compliance. Your challenge is to see that those numbers are increased. A gentle- gionnaires are eligible to Declassified Project.” The book’s pur- man’s reminder is all that is needed for the squadrons which continually submit the report. However an also join our ranks in the pose is to help inform everyone of overwhelming majority of our squadrons are still not reporting and that is where we need to step up. Sons. JUST ASK them the Fisher House program, what In addition to those who already report, I challenge each National Vice Commander to get reports to join. Now’s the time the mission statement is, how the from three Detachments that did not report last year. I challenge each National Executive Committee- to invite them onto the program started, who is supporting man to get three District / Regional reports that were not reported last year. I challenge each Alternate Bandwagon. it, where they are located and what National Executive Committeeman to get three squadron reports that were not reported last year. And I The success of our items are needed to keep the houses further challenge each national committee and commission member to see that their own squadron has renewals this year will stocked for families. They should turned in a report. Our goal is 1,800 reports showing Americanism activities. be the determining fac- be able to simply arrive at one the Leadership positions are not given, they are earned. Let us all step up and show we have earned the tor to hitting the overall houses and focus on spending time right to be here. 105 percent membership with their loved one without hav- Warmest regards, goal. WE CAN exceed 90 percent rate of renewal but it will take a re- ing to worry about the little things. Bill Towns lentless effort. That one phone call to a delinquent member; that one Get your hands on a copy of the Nat’l Americanism Chairman letter asking for his support of our programs by renewing; that one smile “Top Secret – Declassifi ed Project” and handshake by saying “Thank you for your membership” will get us book and use it. Make a donation where we need to fi nish. Achieving the goals for our programs this year to help support our military men will be determined by what we can do between now and the end of July. and women. Sons have raised as who broke the color barrier in the Remember that donations to the Child Welfare Foundation need to much as $78,000 for Fisher House In memoriam last branch of the military to admit Do you have a story to share? be transmitted before the end of May. Sons continue to set records in in recent years, so this year’s goal John Hill, Jr., Adjutant for the blacks. Send ideas and pictures to: fundraising and donations. What we were able to accomplish during the of $100,000 is not out of line and Detachment of Georgia, trans- President Obama signed leg- month of April, our Children & Youth month, was truly inspiring. is certainly something we can ferred to the Squadron Everlast- islation in 2011 giving the Mont- National Update Has your Squadron made a donation to the Fisher House Foundation? achieve. ing on December 19, 2012. Hill, a ford Pointers the highest award c/o Mike Pipher, Editor We set a goal for my National Commander’s Project of $100,000. Fish- Detachment VA&R representa- dual member of the Sons and The that Congress can bestow on citi- 612 S. State Road 446 - #35C er Houses are being built all across the country to improve the quality tives are required to be in contact American Legion, had been fea- zens. Last June, Hill and other Bloomington, IN 47401 of life for members of the military, retirees, veterans and their families. with the National VA&R Com- tured in a National Update front surviving Montford Pointers trav- or The Foundation builds and expands comfort homes at military and VA mission but anyone is welcome to page story just last summer. eled to Washington, DC to receive [email protected] medical centers. A Fisher House is a home away from home for families contact us and receive the latest He was a WWII veteran, one the Congressional Gold Medal, an of patients who are receiving medical care. A new Fisher House was Fisher House book. Send e-mail of 20,000 black Marines known honor long-denied yet richly de- Next deadline is June 1, 2013 Continued on Page 8 to [email protected]. as the Montford Pointers, the men served. 4 5 Formerly known as “Battle at the Beach,” Co- (Left) Let’s hear it for the donated proceeds got to needy families whose homes were lonial Beach, VA Squadron 148 has been promot- Yoopers! Escanaba, MI devastated by the storm. ing a fundraising event that will now be known as Squadron 71 helped kick the “Party in the Parking Lot.” Money they raise is start the local Salvation An alliance of veteran organizations chipped in to help donated to the Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation Army’s annual Kettle bring the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall into Clearwa- (EOD stands for Explosive Ordinance Device) lo- Drive in their community ter, FL for a week last November. Sons from the Detach- cated in Fredericksburg, VA in memory of a young this year by being one of ment of Florida 16th District donated their time to assist Marine bomb technician killed in Afghanistan in the fi rst to drop $250 into visitors, helping them fi nd names of friends and family 2009. the pot and stick around members etched into the Wall. (Below) to ring those bells. If Each year on December 15, Pelham, NY Squad- you’ve ever seen how ron 50 participates in Wreaths Across America cold it can be for Ket- alongside other Legion Family members. Sons lead tle bell-ringers around a short ceremony, reading of the names of eleven Pelham natives who died in WWI and WWII and are interred Christmas time, just imagine what it’s like doing that important work a few overseas and the names of Pelham natives, residents and spouses who are interred at Arlington National Cem- feet from a frozen Lake Michigan! etery. At the same time they are placing wreaths at the Veterans Park, located next to the Town Hall, thousands of wreaths are also being placed at Arlington National Cemetery, the overseas cemeteries administered by the One of the cardinal rules of public relations is that you always want to thank American Battle Monument Commission, and hundreds of other locations across the country. people if they have done something nice for your organization. The guys up in Auburn Hills, MI Squadron 143 know this. They threw a special social Back in December, members of the Detachment of Colo- hour back in January and handed out certifi cates to thank those who have rado spent a Saturday afternoon hanging Christmas lights on participated in their American Flag program. Volunteers place fl ags on busi- the Fisher House in Aurora. They also brightened the holidays nesses around the community on special days throughout the year. The local These pages are often fi lled with fantastic stories about by handing over close to $2,000 in donations collected by Sons Legion post turned this duty over to the Sons back in 1991 and they’ve been big deeds accomplished by small squadrons. Such is the throughout the state. (Left) running with it ever since. case with Palm Bay, FL Squadron 117. With fewer than 100 members, their Sons raised $3,300 that was donated Every year at Christmas, Walkerton, IN Squadron 189 Chicken Bar-B-Q’s and other to the Brevard County Special Olympics program. Their hands out Christmas food baskets to needy families that apply. fundraisers helped Ham- contribution netted the guys a front page newspaper ar- A percentage of the squadron’s fund raising projects pays for burg, NY Squadron 527 col- ticle. this project, along with any food or cash donations received. lect $2,000 that they donated Sons gathered on a mid-December Friday evening and went to the VA hospital in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Sons from Laingsburg, MI Squadron 248 shopping. They packed and delivered the baskets following morning. Each basket contained an entire Christmas (Above) In turn, that money have been handing out money just about as quickly as they ham dinner along with enough cereal, bread, milk, dry goods, and canned goods to supply a family for a week. will be used to help support can raise it. They’ve recently given $500 to a nearby high Oh yeah, there were toys for the kids, too. This year’s 52 Christmas baskets set a record. the National Veterans Golden school’s scholarship fund in memory of a local football Age Games, an Olympic- star who was killed in Afghanistan. Another $500 was Florence, KY Squadron 4 made donations to the Boone County style series of events that will given to the school’s sports booster program. Yet another Police “Shop with a Cop” program this past year. Sons also sup- draw together close to 700 senior-aged veterans from around the country in $500 was handed over to the Operation Wounded Warrior plied the non-perishables to the Family Services of Burlington El- May. These games are heralded as the premier senior adaptive rehabilitation program. ementary that were distributed for Thanksgiving. (Right) program. It is the only national multi-events sports and recreational seniors’ competition program designed to improve the quality of life for all older vet- The Sons of New- erans, including those with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. ton, MA Squadron 440 have begun On Christmas Eve Day, Sons from Southington, CT Squadron 72 joined with sponsoring a bian- Legionnaires to deliver 19 complete dinners to local families who were a little nual art contest for down on their luck this time around. The dinners were purchased with donations local school children. Coinciding with Veterans Day, contestants collected by the S.A.L., Legion Family members and local businesses. are encouraged to commemorate the dedication and commitment of the men and women in our Armed Forces in the art they cre- Above and beyond the benefi ts of The American Legion National Emer- ate. Winners are announced publicly at a local high school football gency Fund, Sons from Mahopac, NY Squadron 1080 donated $1,000 to- game and invited to The American Legion’s Veterans Day celebra- ward the purchase of needed supplies and food for victims of the hurricane tion. The students’ artwork is displayed on the post’s game room Sandy. (Right) Two truckloads of food and cleaning supplies were driven to walls for six months. an American Legion on Staten Island. Local Legionnaires helped insure the 6 3

Too many homeless vets Educating Youth in homeland Bandwagon from Page 1 According to national data, on any given their children’s dues while they are Operation Comfort Warriors night, nearly 672,000 Americans are home- security and civil defense young but expect them to pay dues Operation Comfort Warrior is The By Bruno Williamson American Legion’s own program to less. It’s believe more than 60,000 of them are By Robert Borkovich for themselves when they turn 18 Nat’l VA&R Vice Chairman homeless veterans. Nat’l Homeland Security Committeeman or get their own job. provide comfort items to our active duty troops at DOD hospitals. It should not be confused with the Wound- The longer someone has been homeless, the As a young boy in the late 1950’s and early 60’s, it seemed Whatever the reason, we need ed Warrior Project, founded by an OEF/OIF veteran initially to provide more diffi cult - and expensive - it becomes to to be easier growing up in our country. I can’t remember to help ourselves. We need to reach comfort items to our troops and now a full blown program providing restore stability. Homelessness prevention has hearing the word “terrorism” back then but now it’s some- out to the family members of those counseling, education, and rehabilitative programs. been the focus of growing interest in the fi eld. thing our children and grand kids hear almost every day. that have moved, ask if they have In May of 2007 American Legion National Commander Paul Morin Not only is this a compassionate strategy, but As times have changed, so has the technology we have at a new address. Ask those mem- was visiting the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and it makes better fi scal sense. Once people have our fi nger tips and we search the Internet for anything we’re bers who have not paid their dues if found that entertainment equipment was broken. He saw there was become homeless, it quickly becomes more interested in. Let me recommend a couple of websites out there is a problem and if they need minimal access to music and magazines and that the clothing allowance diffi cult - and more expensive - to return them there for you and even for your children: www.fema.gov and help. We always say that member- for our wounded troops was insuffi cient. Commander Morin came back to sustainable self-suffi ciency. Though the evi- www.ready.gov. Both of these sites are full of information ship is everyone’s responsibility. home with a mission to raise $50,000 in a few months to provide com- dence base for homelessness prevention is in on how to prepare for a natural disaster and they are also Just asking works as well for get- fort items to our recovering service members at LRMC. The American its early stages, recent efforts with the Home- sites that are youth friendly. You can also go onto YouTube to ting new members as it should for Legion Family responded by raising $257,000 by the deadline to pur- lessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Pro- watch videos on how to prepare a survival kit or how to react renewing all of our members. chase TV’s, stereos, phone cards, pool tables and other comfort items. gram and a history derived from Federal initia- in a disaster situation. A variety of tools are in place for us to We are not having trouble re- Operation Landstuhl was born. tives provide information on lessons learned be able to pass on information and educate those around us, cruiting new members. We have The following year, National Commander Dave Rehbein continued and suggest strategies that should be examined, especially youngsters. managed to reach our 100 percent or more in membership for a num- the program and Operation Landstuhl was renamed Operation Comfort studied, evaluated, and implemented. Recent natural disasters such as hurricane Sandy and the ber of years in a row. Imagine what Warriors. Since then, OCW has continued to provide comfort items to The VA estimates that an additional 1.4 mil- earthquake in Virginia have shown us that emergencies can our membership would be if we those recovering in military hospitals and transition facilities throughout lion veterans are at-risk of becoming homeless pop up anywhere. After the earthquake, my oldest grandson, could just get our renewal rate up to the U.S. and at overseas facilities. because of poverty, lack of support from fam- who is 13, put together survival kits for his younger broth- 92 or 93 percent every year. This is With the lack of storage at our VAMC’s and DOD hospitals The ily and friends, substance use or mental health er and sisters. It was something he was taught in the Boy very achievable; it only takes some American Legion prefers monetary donations to speed up the process of issues, and unstable living conditions. Scouts. Giving our young men and women this information communication and cooperation. buying and shipping items to our service members. Legion offi cials con- is something they will carry on into their adult lives. If a member signs up fi ve new tact DOD hospitals, warrior transition units and the surrounding com- American Legion Family members have the opportunity Membership members, there is a form on the Na- munities, and they obtain lists of items needed for our wounded, injured to pass along information to others at post, unit and squadron tional web site that you can down- or ill service members. Renewal Leaders meetings. We all have a chance to become teachers and we load, fi ll out, then let your area All of the administrative and marketing costs of Operation Comfort France 100 % owe it to our young people to pass on the know-how that National Vice Commander know Warrior are paid by The American Legion so that 100 percent of every we’ve obtained. They are the future of this country and we South Dakota 79.6% and you will receive a special re- dollar donated to OCW is used to purchase comfort items for “those need to educate and prepare them for any situation the future Wisconsin 77.4% cruiter pin. There is an award (the who have borne the battle” Rais- may hold for them. Triple Nickel) for any Detachment Kansas 76.5% ing money is what we Sons do best: that achieves 105 percent member- from shaving your commander’s Calendar misprint Maryland 76.2% Becoming certifi ed in Legion lore ship, a renewal rate of 85 percent, head to poker runs, with fi sh fries An error was found earlier Montana 75.9% By Damon Bradtmuller and charters fi ve new squadrons. and with bowling tournaments. this year in S.A.L. calendar Virginia 75.9% Nat’l Public Relations Chairman The Detachment that wins a Triple Donations can be made on line cards printed for 2013. Since They say that you should try to learn something new each Nickel will receive $555. We have then, a second error has been Minnesota 75.9% at www.tal.org or mailed to: Opera- day. Some Detachments host training sessions that cover only had two Detachments achieve tion Comfort Warriors, The Ameri- discovered. Nebraska 75.4% programs and inform members of why we work to support this and one of them has done it can Legion, PO Box 1055, India- If you have any of the S.A.L. Florida 74.8% them. The American Legion has the Extension Institute that twice. I challenge you to help your napolis, In. 46206. calendar cards for 2013 - green is available online from their website www.legion.org/alei. Detachment reach this goal. Iowa 74.8% in color - please destroy them. There is a $4.95 charge for this class, and it will open your A limited quantity of new Illinois 74.2% eyes as to what and why we support these programs. You can view a video of National Commander Chris 2013 calendar cards are being Pennsylvania 74.1% Let’s all become better informed members and tell the pub- Huntzinger remarks made during this year’s American printed and should be available Vermont 73.6% lic what we do and why we do it. It will encourage more suc- Legion Washington Conference at www.youtube.com/watch?v in early May. We apologize for cessful fundraising activities and bring a better understand- =cmvuMo6kez4&feature=youtu.be the mistakes. Louisiana 73.2% ing as to why we work so hard in support of our programs.